Automatic timing device



Nov. 10, 1931. w. E. PORTER 1,831,605

AUTOMATIC TIMING DEVICE Filed March 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet llllllllllli Nov. 10, 1931.

w. E. PORTER AUTOMATIC TIMING DEVICE Filed March 14. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Patented Nov. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILSON E. PORTER,OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW HAVEN CLOCK. COMPANY, OFNEW HAVEN,. CONNECTICUT. A. CORPORATION AUTOMATIC TIMING DEVICEApplication filed March 14, 1930. Serial No. 435,792.

This invention relates to an improvement in timing-devices designed forautomatically effecting a given operation, such as the opening orclosing of an electric circuit, after the lapse of a predeterminedperiod of time.

The main object of this invention is to provide at a low cost formanufacture, a simple, reliable and effective timing-device 'in whichthe release of the part or memberto-be-controlled is automaticallyeffected definitely and quickly at the termination of the predeterminedperiod for which the device may have been set.

With the above. and other objectsin view as will appear from. thefollowing, my invention consists in an automatic timing-devicecharacterized by its provision with a cocklng-member having acam-surface coacting with the member-to-be-controlled for cocking thesame, and a control-member coupled to the said cocking-member formovement therewith but with capacity for limited independent movementwith respect thereto and provided with a drop-off nose movable intooverlapping relationship -with respect to the cam-surface of the saidcocking-member forrestraining the member to be operated in its cockedposition during the latter portion of the time-period for which thedevice has been set.

My invention further consists in an automatic timing-devicecharacterized as above and having certain other details of constructionand combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described andparticularly recited in the claims. a

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of one form which an automatictiming-device constructed in accordance with my inventionmay assume Fig.2 is a view thereof in rear elevation,

- on a larger scale and showing the parts in the positions due to themwhen the device corresponding to Fig. 2, but showing the parts in thepositions due to them after-the cocking-disk has been moved to partiallycock the switch-member;

Fig. 6 is a corresponding view showing the parts in the positions due tothem after the switch-member has been fully cocked and the device setfor a time-interval of approximately thirty minutes Fig. 7 is a similarview, but showing the parts in the positions due to them just prior tothe release of the switch-member by the control-disk and near thetermination of the time-period for which the device has been set;

Fig. 8 is a detached perspective view of the cocking-disk; and

a Fig. 9 is a similar view of the control-disk. In the embodiment of myinvention herein chosen for illustration, I employ a cookingdisk 10formed in its periphery with a notch 11, one wall of which istangentially sloped,

as shown, to provide a cam-surface 12 for coaction with'a shoe 13offsetting from the free end of a flexible switcharm 14 The opposite endof the said switch-arm is mounted, as shown, upon a block 15 ofinsulating material rearwardly offsetting from a rear movement-plate 16secured in spaced relation with respect to a front movement-plate 17 bypillars 18. Located forwardly of and in spaced relation to the frontmovement-plate 17 is a rectangular dial-plate 19 havingen aved upon itsfront face an annular series 0 graduations 20 and secured to the saidfront movement-plate by short pillars 21.

The cocking-disk 10 before referred to is rigidly mounted upon thereduced inner end of a collar 22 by being clamped between a shoulder 23thereupon and an outturned flange 24 thereon. The said collar is alsoformed with an annular bearing-surface 25 upon/which is mounted, withfreedom for rotation, what I shall for convenience ofdescription call acontrol-disk 26, formed with a notch 27 resulting in theformation of adrop-off nose 28 which, as will hereinafter appear, is adaptedto overlapthe cam-surface 12 of the adjacent cocking-disk 10.

The collar 22, carrying the cocking-disk 10 and the control-disk 26, issecured, by means of a set-screw 29, to the projecting, rear end of asetting-arbor 30 which has bearing in the rear and front movement-plates16' and 17 and has its forward end projecting through the dial-plate 19,where it is provided with a knurled finger-button 31 secured to it by aset-screw 32 and carrying a pointer 33 sweeping over the graduationsupon the said diallate.

p Staked to the central portion of the settingarbor 30, between themovement-plates 16 and 17, is a hub 34 having riveted to it the mainwheel 35 of a time-train which may be of any approved construction andwhich, as shown, consists also of a pinion 36 meshing into and driven bythe main-wheel 35 and frictionally coupled to an arbor 37, by means of asplit spring-washer 38 encircling the same and held between hardenedwashers 39 and 40.

The rear washer 39 bears against a collar 41 staked-upon the rear end ofthe arbor 37, while the forward washer bears against the rear face ofthe pinion 36 which, in turn, bears against the rear end of a hub 42staked to the said arbor 37 and'carrying a gear-wheel 43. Thespring-washer 38 just described serves to frictionally couple the pinion36 to the arbor 37 with capacity for being turned thereon when it isdesired to set or reset the timing-device, as will be hereinafterdescribed.

The wheel 43 {meshes into a pinion 44 mounted upon an arbor 45 carryinga gearwheel 46 meshing into a pinion 47 secured to an arbor 48 carryinga gear-wheel 49 meshing, in turn, into a pinion 50 upon theescapement-wheel arbor 51. The escapementwheel arbor 51, just referredto, carries the usual'escapement-wheel 52 co-acting with anescapement-lever 53 having a staff 54 and co-- acting at its oppositeend with the usual balance-Wheel 55 mounted upon a balance-staff 56carrying a usual hair-spring 57.

The central portion of the setting-arbor 30 is provided with a hook 58serving to connect the inner end of a spiral main-spring 59 to the saidarbor for turning the same in one direction under the control of thetimetrain. The opposite end of a main-spring 59 is secured, as clearlyshown in F igs, 2 and 3,

to one of the pillars 18 extending between the.

rear and front movement-plates l6 and 17.

As before pointed out, the cocking-disk 10 is rigidly coupled to thesetting-arbor 30,

' while the control-disk 28 may turn upon the bearing 25 of the collar22 carried by the said arbor. Now, for the purpose of coupling thecontrol-disk 26 to the cocking-disk 10 for movement therewith but withcapacity for limited relative movement, I provide the said control-diskwith a forwardly-projecting pin 60 extending through an arcuate slot 61in the cocking-disk 10 and having one end of a helical spring 62 hookedover its forward end. The opposite end of the said spring 62 is hookedover the forward end of a pin 63 forwardly projecting from thecocking-disk 10.

The spring 62 just above described exerts 7 switch-arm 66 also securedto the insulatingblock 15, which serves to mount the switcharm 14 beforereferred to.

In the operation of my improved timer, the user grasps the finger-button31 and turns the same clockwise until the pointer 33 carried therebyregisters with the graduation upon the dial-plate 19 indicating theparticular time-interval which it is desired to have elapse before theautomatic accomplishment of a function such as the opening of a circuit,

as herein illustrated. For the purpose of description, let it besupposed that the desired interval is thirty minutes.

As the finger-button 31 is turned clockwise,

as above described, to register the pointer 33 with the desiredgraduation 30, the arbor 30 is also turned with the effect of windingthe malnspring 59 and turning the cocking-disk 10 so as to cause thecam-surface 12 thereof to lift the shoe of the switch-arm 14 and flexthe latter so as to engage its contact 64 with the contact '65 of theswitch-arm" 66 and thus close the circuit. This turning of the arbor 30is permitted by the fact that the pinion 36 may be turned independent ofthe-arbor 37 195 and the time-train, though it is frictionally coupledthereto for effecting the driving of the said train.

As the cocking-disk 10 is turned, as just above described, to lift theshoe 15 (Fig. 5),

the control-disk 26 will remain stationary until the said shoe has beenlifted high enough to permit the drop-off nose 28 thereof to' be snappedunder it by the spring 62, this being effected by virtue of the factthat the cockingdisk is of slightly greater diameter than thecontrol-disk. The continued rotation of the arbor 30 until the pointer33 registers with the thirty-minute graduation upon the dialplate 19will bring the parts in the positions i in which they are shown in Fig.6 of the drawings, in which the shoe 13 is resting upon the peripheryofthe cocking-disk 10.

Upon the setting of the device just above described and the removal ofany manual restraint upon the finger-button 31, the mainspring 59 willimmediately assert itself and slowly turn the arbor 30counter-clockwise, together with the disks 10 and 26 and pointer 33,under the control of the time-train already 1 described. When thepointer 33 has reached the zero mark upon the diallate 19 (see Fig. 7),the drop-off nose 28 of the controldisk 26 will have ridden out fromunder the shoe 13, which will immediately snap downward under thetension of the resilient switcharm 14 into the position shown in Fig. 2,with the result that the contact 64'is separated from the contact '65and the circuit thus turned in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 6 bythe main-spring 59, the said shoe moves ra idly and at a definite point,i. e., when the pointer 33 reaches its zero position.

lVhile I have herein shown my improved timing-device as acting toautomatically open a circuit, it is obvious without further illustrationthat my invention is not limited to the particular character of themember to be controlled since various devices, such as gascocks, etc.,may be lifted and dropped in the same manner that the switch-arm 14 isacted upon.

It will be} further understood by those skilled in the art that myinvention may as sume varied physical forms without departing from theinventive concept and there fore do not'limit myself to the spec fic embodiment herein chosen for illustration, but

' only as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an automatic timing-device the combination with amember-to-be-controlled; of atime-train; driving-means for the saidtimetrain; a cocking-member manually movable in one directionandautomatically movable in the opposite direction by the said driving--means under the control of the said timetrain and provided with acocking cam-surface co-acting with the member-to-be-controlled forcocking the same; manually-operable setting-means for the saidcockingmember j a control-member coupled to the said cocking-member formovement therewith but with capacity for limited independent a movementwith respect thereto and provided with a drop-off nose movable intooverlapping relationship with respect to the cam-surface of the saidcocking-member; and springmeans for moving the said control-member withrespect to the said cocking-member to cause the drop-01f nose of theformer to overlap the cam-surface of the latter when the same has beenmanually moved by the said setting-means.

2. In an automatic timing-device the combination with ainember-tobe-controlled; of a time-train; driving-means for the saidtimetrain; a cocking-member manually movable in one direction andautomatically, movable in the opposite direction by the saiddrivingmeans under the control of the said timetrain and provided with acocking cam-surface co-acting with the membe-ro-be controlled forcocking the same; manually-op-' erable setting-means for the saidcockingmember: a control-member coupled to the said cocking-member formovement therewith but with capacity for limitedindependent movementwith respect'thereto and provided with a drop-off nose movable intooverlapping relationship with respect to the cam-surface of the saidcocking-member; and a spring coupled at its opposite ends to the. saidcontrol-member and cocking-member respectively formoving the former withrespect to the latter to cause its drop-off nose to overlap thecam-surface of the said cocking-member when the same has been manuallymoved by the said setting-means.

3. In an automatic timing-device the combination with amember-to-be-controlled; of a time-train; driving-means for the saidtime-train; a rotary cocking-member manually rotatable in one directionand automati 'cally rotatable. in the opposite direction by the saiddriving-means under the control of the said time-train and provided witha cam-surface co-acting with the member-tobecontrolled for cocking thesame; manuallyoperable setting-means for the said cockingmember; arotary control-member substantially coaxial with and coupled to the saidcocking-member for rotation therewith but with capacity for limitedindependent rotary movement with respect thereto and provided with adrop-off nose movable into overlap-w ping relationship with respect tothe camsurface of the said cocking-member; and spring-means for rotatingthe said controlmember with respect to the said cockingmember to causethe drop-0H nose of the former to overlap the cam-surface of the latterwhen the. same has been manually moved by the said setting-means.

i. In an automatic timing-device the combination with amember-to-be-controlled; of a time-train; driving-means for the saidtime-train; a cocking-disk manually rotatable in one direction andautomatically rotatable in the opposite direction by the saiddriving-means under the control of the said time-train and provided witha cam-surface co-acting with the said member-to-be-controlled forcooking the same; manually-operable setting-means for the saidcockingdisk; a control-disk positioned adjacentto the said cocking-diskand coupled thereto for rotation therewith but with capacity for limitedindependent rotary movement with respect thereto and providedwith adropuse 4 teaaeos oil nose movable into overlapping relation shlp withrespect to the cam-surface of the sald cocking-disk; and sprmg-means forrotating the said control-disk with respect to the said cocking-disk tocause the drop-oil nose of the former to overlap the carn-surface of thelatter when the same has been manually moved by the said setting-means.

5-. In an automatic timing-device the combination with amember-to-be-controlled; of a time-train; driving-means for the saidtime-train; a rotary cocking-dislr manually rotatable in one directionand automatically rotatable in the opposite direction by the saiddriving-means under the control of the said time-train and provided witha cam-surface co-acting with the member-to-be-controlled for cocking thesame; manually-operable setting-means for the said cocking-disk; arotary control-disk positioned adjacent to the said cocking-disk andcoupled thereto for rotation therewith but with capacity for limitedindependent rotary movement with respect thereto and provided with adropofi nose movable into overlapping relationship with respect to thecam-surtate of the said cocking-disk; and a spring coupled at itsopposite ends to the said control-disk and cocking-disk respectively forrotating the former with respect to the latter to cause its drop-offnose to overlap the cam-surface of the said cocking-disk when the samehas been manually moved by the said settingmeans.

6. In an automatic timing-switch the combination with a pair ofcomplementary switch-members; of a tirne-train, drivingmeans for thesaid time-train; a cooking member manually movable in one direction andautomati'cally'movable in the opposite direction by the saiddriving-means under the control of the said time-train and provided witha cocking cam-surface co-acting with one of the said switch-members formoving the same with respect to'its complementary switch-member;manually-operable setting-means for the said cocking-member; acontrol-member coupled to the said cocking-member for movement therewithbut with capacity for limited independent movement with respect theretoand provided with a drop-oil nose movable into overlapping relationshipwith respect to the cam-surface of the said cocking-member; andspringmeans for moving the said control-member with respect to the-saidcocking-member to cause the drop-off nose of the former to overlap thecam-service of the latter when the same has been manually moved by thesaid setting-means.

7. In an automatic timing-device the combination with a pair ofcomplementary switch-members; of a time-train; drivin means for the saidtime-train; a rotary coc ing-member manually rotatable in one directionand automatically rotatable in the opposite direction by the saiddriving-means under the control of the said time-train and provided witha cam-surface co-acting with one of the said switch-members for movingthe same with respect to its complementary switch member;manually-operable settingmeans for the said cocking-member; a rotarycontrol-member coupled to the said cockingmember for rotation therewithbut with capacity for limited independent rotary movement with respectthereto and provided with a drop-oil nose movable into overlappingrelationship with respect to the cam-surface of the said cockinganember;and spring-means for rotating the said control-member with respect tothe said cocking-member to cause the drop-off nose of the former tooverlap the cam-surface of the latter when the same has been manuallymoved by the said settingmeans.

8. In an automatic timing-device the combination with a pair ofcomplementary switch-members; of a time-train; drivingmeans for the saidtime-train; a rotary cocking-disk manually rotatable in one directionand automatically rotatable in the opposite direction by the saiddriving-means under the control of the said time-train and provided witha ca1n-surface co-acting with one of the said switch-members for movingthe same with respect to its complementary switch-member;manually-operable settingmeans for the said cocking-disk; a rotarycontrol-disk positioned adjacent to the said cocking-disk and coupledthereto for rotation therewith but with capacity for limited independentrotary movement with respect thereto and provided with adrop-off nosemovable into overlapping relationship with respect to the cam-surface ofthe said cocking-disk; and spring-means for rotating the saidcontrol-disk with respect to the said cocking-disk to cause the drop-offnose of the formerto overlap the cam-surface of the latter when the samehas been manually moved by the said setting-means.-

In (testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

WILSON E. PORTER.

